Review The Price of Temptation by Lecia Cornwall
Once wed to England’s most notorious turncoat . . .
Lady Evelyn Renshaw can ignore the disgrace her former husband has brought down upon her. She can even disregard the accusations. But when her life is threatened because of his actions, she realizes a stiff upper lip won’t be enough to keep her safe. So she hires a new footman powerful enough to protect her . . . only to find herself shamelessly intoxicated by his breathtaking masculinity.
Captain Sinjon Rutherford is no footman . . . but there are those who believe him a traitor. The only way to prove his innocence is by playing the part of elegant Lady Evelyn’s servant in order to infiltrate her home and uncover the truth about her suspicious relations. Yet what seems at first an easy deception is anything but, once he meets his alluring new employer and discovers just how tempting a woman in charge can be . . .
Because sometimes passion hides in plain sight.
English Turncoats, stiff upper lips, society snobbery and rejection, what could be better than an intriguing novel about the wife of a traitor deciding that she has had enough, deciding to protect herself against all, her relatives snotty society matrons, and her husband by hiring a hot footman, who turns out to be more than he initially appears.
Of course this is going to be a bit predictable, I mean most straight historical novels are especially those set in the Regency period. If you’ve read more than a dozen you understand the constraints, but the magic, the trick, the greatness in writing comes when even given those constraints, an author can transport you and still surprise you with how well written how well executed and how excited you can be while reading their novel.
I loved how they began their relationship with literally a bang. When she was accosted by a napoleonic spy stating that they wanted what her husband stole from her. Sinjon is on his way to a duel when he stops her from being accosted and from being killed. When he has to spy on Evelyn in order to avoid prison, he continually saves her from professional killers, bent on murder, and he begins to fall in love. Her independence, her resillience and her determination to outlast and succeed attract him to her, and their relationship is simply comfortable and beautiful to watch.
This is one of those rare really cute Regency Historical novels, where the political aspects of the novel provide the excitement and intrigue that is so essential to making the novel stand out and be exciting.
Overall Rating: B
